MANILA, Philippines – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Tuesday, December 5, released into circulation a new set of New Generation Currency (NGC) banknotes with an "enhanced design."
The BSP said the new Philippine peso bills are "aimed at highlighting significant moments in the nation's history, as well as its world heritage sites and iconic natural wonders."
"The Philippine banknotes," it added, "remain a constant reminder of the Philippine patriotism and bravery, and centuries of journey for the Filipino people's better future."
While the new banknotes are now in circulation, the existing NGC bills will still remain legal tender.
Changes
The new banknotes already feature the signature of BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr, who had just taken the helm of the central bank last July.
The BSP also detailed the following changes:
- P200 bill – changes to the images on the obverse side of the banknote, particularly those depicting the Declaration of Philippine Independence and Opening of the Malolos Congress
- P50 bill – "Leyte Landing" text changed to "Leyte Landing October 1944"
- P1,000 bill – image of the Order of Lakandula Medal and the phrase "MEDAL OF HONOR" removed from the obverse side of the banknote
Beyond these changes, all of the new banknotes also feature changes in the format of the scientific names and a bigger font size for the year mark.
The BSP added that it is considering further enhancements for the NGC banknotes such as inclusion of braille marks for the blind and other improvements in the security features.
Last week, the central bank released the new P5 coin featuring Andres Bonifacio. The rest of the new coins will follow in January next year. – Rappler.com